The Shadow Thief - Book 1 of Dark Hearts
by WolfGirl580
Summary: Ree has been living a life of crime ever since the fall of the great realm of Andela. When the thief takes on a job of assassinating a prince, her whole world gets flipped upside down. Forced to help Thor, Loki, and other Asgardians in taking down the dangerous Dark Swords, the Shadow Thief's future is sure to be filled with adventure.


**I do not own Marvel! We all owe Stan Lee for that greatness. I do, however, own the idea of Ree and the Andelans. This is my first ever Fanfiction and I am having such an amazing time bringing my tale to life. So, any feedback would be great and I hope you enjoy the story! **

Chapter 1

Give Chase

The sunlight glinted off the deadly tip of the arrow. The assassin held the bow at ready, keeping the bowstring loose. Her golden eyes scanned the crowed market plaza, like a hawk seeking an injured rabbit.

She was a black salute against the sky, yet none paid her any heed. The predatory girl could strike down any of the Asgardians with ease, but no, she had specific prey today. Soon, in a matter of minutes, the princes of Asgard would arrive. Her job was to kill either one of them, or even better, both.

_About time._ She thought as the crowd parted, revealing the galloping steeds of the princes. A curse slipped passed her sharp teeth as all the guards came in sight. They would ruin her chance at a clear shot! There were four guards in total, and each one of them completely blocked the princes.

The assassin shifted and started to get closer- a guard moved to reveal the blonde-haired prince! The girl crouched back down and pulled back on the bowstring. Another guard came forward to block the blonde haired prince once more. However, the guard moving revealed the black-haired prince. Canine-like golden eyes studied the armor of the black-haired prince, seeking out weaknesses and openings. _There!_ She gave a feral smile and aimed the arrow where the black-haired prince's neck met his head.

A whole lot of money was at the stake, she couldn't make a mistake now. The assassin rolled her shoulders and pulled the bowstring back even further, she took three deep breaths. In and out, in and out, in…. The arrow flew through the air, ringing notes of death. The projectile headed for its target without any complications.

The arrow missed.

At the last second, the black-haired prince had moved his head down, and the arrow flew right over him. The sharp metal tip embedded itself into the throat of the guard behind the prince. Chaos broke out as his body hit the stone ground. The remaining guards whipped around wildly, shouting and pointing their weapons at every bystander. The girl ducked and slid down the rooftop towards the welcoming shadows.

Yet, as she slid down, she heard the guards issue the princes onward and heard one of the princes yell a single line.

"The assassin was on that rooftop!" The words chilled her spine and the assassin raced away.

She ran, trying to find a place to hide. This was extremely difficult though, guards were everywhere! They ran around on foot, horse, and some stood on buildings, scanning for any sign of the assassin who tried to murder a prince.

The girl froze and leapt behind a building, crouching under a pile of crates. Two guards marched by, their weapons gleaming in the sunlight. Heart pounding, the assassin waited patiently until the sound of the guards' boots disappeared from her sharp hearing. Only then did she dare to stand up slowly and continue running through the streets of Asgard.

A woman, probably just a shopper, stepped out in front of the assassin. The girl couldn't stop herself in time and plowed right into the woman. The woman shrieked and clawed desperately at the assassin as she tried to stand. The girl winced as the woman stepped painfully onto her calf. She snarled, baring her sharp fangs; the woman squeaked and cowered in fear. The assassin leaped back up and kept running, a slight limp in her once quick pace.

The girl muttered an oath as she heard the woman yell frantically at a guard who then started to pursue the assassin. The guard's voice ordered her to stop and the assassin put on a faster burst of speed. More shouting and the pounding of boats filled her ears. As she rounded a corner, she saw a flash of gold.

Pain exploded in the assassin's head as the gold hilt of a sword slammed into her temples. A bright light flashed in her eyes as the girl crumpled to the ground. The stone was cold and scratchy against her cheek as the assassin lay face down. Dazed and groggy, the girl lay still as the more of the guards caught up. Muffled voices floated in and out of her ears, she still lay motionless. A guard reached down and wrapped a hand around her shoulder. That was when the seemingly unconscious assassin staggered to her feet and slammed an elbow into the guard's face.

The Asgardian howled as blood spurted out of his broken nose. The girl kicked the legs out from under the guard and then drew her twin daggers. The rest of the guards surged forward, yet none could have anticipated the assassin's strength and skill. Her brilliant weapons flashed and spun as the girl twisted, dodged, and stabbed. She plunged the dagger into one guard's chest and uppercutted another guard with the other dagger's silver hilt. In a matter of minutes, three guards lay injured and two lay dead. The assassin sheathed her blood-stained weapons. Sighing, the girl walked away from the guards and headed towards a house that would be a sufficient hiding spot.

The world spun and her vision swam. The assassin stumbled and fell to one knee, sweat beading her forehead. Finally, the spinning and nausea passed. The girl slowly stood back up. Pain throbbed in her skull and the assassin gave a slight moan. Biting down on her tongue and straightening her spine, the girl walked on. Her keen ears picked up the steel hiss of a sword being drawn. She spun around and blocked the sword right before it cut through her neck. The guard's eyes lit up with surprise but the surprise quickly washed away, replaced by burning determination. He started to circle the girl, who followed him step for step. The two held their weapons at ready, neither making the first attack.

"For attempted murder of our princes, you will be taken in and hung for your crimes!" The guard snarled and lunged forward. The assassin parried his blow and twisted to the side, she held her daggers in an 'x' formation at her chest.

"We'll see." Is all she said, her voice dangerously soft. Swift as a striking snake, she lunged forward and cut a long scratch across the guard's leg. The guard hissed and swung his sword again, preventing the assassin from slashing him once more. The girl crouched down and smiled, her teeth caught the sunlight. The guard got distracted for one moment and that was all the assassin needed. With another quick lunge, she cut the guard across the stomach and tackled him to the ground. The guard withered and bucked wildly, but the girl's strength held him down. She leaned in close and her breath tickled the guard's ear.

"Never get distracted." She whispered and slammed the hilt of one of her daggers onto the guard's head; the guard promptly fell unconscious. The girl stood up.

The assassin ducked the sword that swung suddenly and kicked out with her legs. The newly arrived guard jumped back and kicked out with his own legs. For once, in a very long time, the girl failed to dodge. The guard's boot connected with her already injured leg. Her calf screamed in protest and the assassin gave a startled cry of pain. For the second time that day, the hilt of a weapon slammed into her head. This time the strike was harder and much more efficient.

The Shadow Thief fell to the ground unconscious.


End file.
